I do not own Thomas the Tank Engine and Friend. They are strictly the property of both Britt Allcroft and the Awdry family.
Episode 29: Thomas, Percy and the Coal, Original Airdate: September 24th 1986
It was a warm afternoon on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Howard were both bringing Thomas' E2 to the coal hopper so that they could fill it up before parking it in the shed, they parked it under the hopper and the man operating it released the coal. The E2's bunker was soon filled with coal, Thomas and Howard then brought it back to Ffarquhar sheds.
When they got there, they saw that Tanya and Lucy were both waiting for them. Thomas hopped down from his E2's cab as Tanya let go of Lucy who waddled over to Thomas.
"Daddy" said Lucy happily as Thomas scooped her up in his arms.
"Lucy" said Thomas, "have a fun day at Rainbows End today?".
"Fun day daddy," said Lucy.
"I trust that Lucy was good today?" Howard asked his wife.
"Don't worry she was" replied Tanya, "Reverends Awdry and Boston both confirmed it".
Just then Percy's Avonside saddle tank engine came backing into the shed. Thomas, Lucy, Howard and Tanya both noticed that it was covered in coal dust, a fed up Percy then hopped down from its cab.
"Hey Percy" Thomas greeted his best friend, "your engine have a dirty day?".
"Very" said Percy, "I was shunting some trucks under the coal hopper when it malfunctioned".
"That old coal hopper seems to be malfunctioning a lot lately," said Howard.
"Didn't you try and get your engine cleaned?" asked Tanya.
"Not tonight I'm afraid" replied Percy, "there's a problem with the hose pipe".
Percy was fed up that he couldn't clean his engine tonight. He was to pull a passenger train tomorrow and that meant that the passengers were going to notice how dirty his engine was. And that also meant that Gordon and James were going to give him grief.
"Chin up Percy" Thomas told his best friend kindly, "at least you'll still be able to drive your engine".
"Suppose your right Thomas" replied Percy.
Just then Thomas had the idea for a story to tell Lucy. One which involved the coal hopper.
"Say Lucy didn't daddy tell you the story about the time me and Uncle Percy had trouble with coal?" Thomas asked his daughter.
"Daddy tell story?" Lucy asked excitedly.
"Yes, daddy tell story" replied Thomas with a smile.
"Is this story about the time we had that trouble with coal?" Percy asked curiously.
"Correct Percy" replied Thomas.
"Well then take it away Thomas" said Percy with an amused grin in his face.
Everyone then took their sitting places to hear Thomas' story. Howard, Tanya, Annie and Clarabel sat down on some chairs that were in the shed. Percy simply leaned against the puffer of his saddle tank engine, whilst Lucy sat on her grandmother's lap.
"Right" said Thomas as he began his story, "this began in the February of 2011".
(Story Begins)
It was a beautiful morning on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Howard were crossing the branch line bridge in Thomas' E2 during its first run of the day, its bright blue paint sparkled in the sunshine. They were soon puffing through the branch line cutting, Thomas was feeling very pleased with himself.
"You dad I don't think that anyone on the North Western Railway works harder then I do" said Thomas.
"Well, what about Lady and Edward son?" Howard asked his son, a question he knew that Thomas couldn't avoid, "don't they work hard?".
"Of course, they do" replied Thomas quickly, "I meant besides me".
"Sure, you did son" replied Howard.
Soon Thomas and Howard came to Elsbridge station where they found Lady, Percy and Toby waiting. Thomas stopped his E2 at the platform to let the passengers off, during which, both he and Howard hopped down from the cabs to speak to their friends, or in Thomas' case his girlfriend.
"Good morning, Thomas" said Percy, "your engine sure looks splendid this morning".
"Yes, indeed Percy" replied Thomas, "blue is after all the only proper colour for an engine".
"Oh, so my engine isn't a proper engine since its magenta?" Lady asked mischievously.
"Oh, I don't know Lady, I like my trams brown paint" replied Toby.
"My engines always been green" said Percy, "I wouldn't want her to be any other colour either".
"Well, what I actually meant to say was that both blue and magenta are the only proper colours for a really useful engine everyone knows that" said Thomas in a desperate tone of voice.
"Sure, they do Thomas" replied Lady with a smile.
Just Thomas noticed that Lady started to look a little nauseous, she was also starting to shake a little.
"Lady are you okay?" Thomas asked in concern.
Lady was about to say something before she ran over to a litter bin and vomited into it. Thomas, Howard, Burnett, Percy, and Toby hurried over to her to see if she was okay.
"Lady are you okay?" asked Thomas who was worried for his girlfriend.
"Not really Thomas" replied Lady, "I've been feeling a little poorly since this morning".
"I think that you should have the rest of the day off Lady" suggested Burnett.
"Nonsense Burnett" Lady said in an attempt to assure him, "I feel better already".
Lady's attempt to assure Burnett failed when she vomited into the bin again.
"That's it Lady" said Burnett firmly, "I'm ringing Sir Topham Hatt and ask him to give you the rest of the day off".
Lady had to agree with her guardian. By then it was time for both Thomas and Howard to leave with their passenger train, Thomas was reluctant to leave his girlfriend. However, he knew that Burnett would take good care of her.
Later both he and Howard were having lunch in the yards at Tidmouth station, Thomas had parked his E2 right next to the coal hopper. Percy soon arrived with three trucks so that they could be filled with coal, as they were being filled with coal, Thomas called over to him.
"Be care with those new trucks Percy" he said, "I've heard from James that they can be a bit troublesome".
"Okay Thomas" replied Percy as be backed up his engine so that the second truck could be filled with coal.
But just as the last truck was about to be filled with coal, the hopper made a clanking noise and stopped.
"What happened?" Percy asked the man operating the coal hopper.
"Must be blocked again" groaned the operator who then grabbed a pole, "you operate the machine whilst I try to dislodge whatever's blocking it okay?".
Percy agreed as he hopped down from his engines cab and over to the hoppers operating panel. The operator got out a ladder which he climbed up, he then thrust the pole into the hopper and started to prod around a bit.
"Alright mate" the operator called over to Percy, "see if that works?".
Percy then pressed the button on the operating panel. Sure, enough the coal began to pour into his third truck, but then there was another problem. The coal kept pouring down, even though the truck was full. Soon the truck began to overflow, by now the coal was pouring in large quantities, it then began to bury Thomas' E2
"Help" choked Thomas, "my engines being buried".
"Turn it off" called Howard.
Percy and the operator both tried to turn off the coal hopper, unfortunately it was jammed and as a result, the coal kept pouring.
"Why isn't it turning off?" asked a panicking Percy.
"The leaver is fucking jammed" said the operator, "grab me that hammer now".
Percy quickly did as he was asked and handed the hammer to the operator. The operator hit the lever twice before trying to turn off the coal hopper again, this time it was successful. Thomas' E2 however was covered in coal from smokebox to bunker.
Thomas and Howard both came out from behind the E2, their faces and clothes covered in coal dust. Although Percy felt sorry for them, at the same time he found the whole thing very amusing.
"Ha, ha, ha" chuckled Percy, "your engine doesn't look very smart Thomas, it looks really disgraceful".
"Its not disgraceful Percy" choked Thomas angrily, "you did that on purpose now help me get it out".
It took a long time to dig Thomas' E2 out of the coal, it was completely blackened from the coal dust. Whilst it was been cleaned, Thomas and Howard both took showers in the bunkhouse at Tidmouth sheds. However it took so long to clean Thomas' E2 that it wasn't in time for Thomas and Howard's next train.
Sir Topham Hatt then decided to allow Toby to take it for them. He then coupled up to Thomas' two coaches and headed off, Annie and Clarabel were the stewardesses for the day and they both sorry for their older brother and father, they were most upset by this.
Thomas grumbled later that night as he was putting his E2 in the sheds at Ffarquhar that night. Toby thought that it was a great joker, but by now Percy was cross with Thomas for thinking that he had made his E2's blue paint dirty on purpose.
"Fancy" he said, "a really useful engine driver becoming a disgrace to Sir Topham Hatt's railway".
"Shut up Percy you're the disgrace for making my E2's paint dirty" Thomas replied angrily.
"It wasn't my fault" Percy insisted, "the coal hopper had jammed".
"That's what they all say" replied Thomas sarcastically.
Lady who had also parked her engine in the shed watched Thomas and Percy's agreement with concern. She was worried that Thomas and Percy's friendship could end because of this argument, especially since the two of them had been best friends since they were both 8.
Luckily for Lady, things would be fixed the very next day. The next day, Thomas at the station at Tidmouth feeling much more cheerful, as was Howard. They both watched as Percy brought his stone trucks from the junction, it had been a hot day and he was tired, he brought his saddle tank to the platform and hopped down from the cab.
"Man do I need a drink" he said to himself.
Percy then headed for the station café to get himself a nice cold drink, unfortunately he was so focused on getting a drink that he forgot to apply his saddle tanks brakes. As he exited the café, he saw that his saddle tank was moving away.
"Hey come back" yelled Percy.
Luckily his saddle tank had been diverted into a siding, however the buffers were very old and there was a large pile of coal. Percy quickly jumped into his saddle tanks cab, but it was too late as it crashed through the buffers.
"OH" wailed Percy, "help".
The buffers were broken and Percy's saddle tank was wheel deep in coal. It was now time for Thomas and Howard to leave, they had both seen everything.
"Now Percy's learned his lesson" Thomas said to his father.
They then left Tidmouth station, leaving a depressed Percy and his saddle tank stuck in coal. However, that night both Thomas and Percy spoke to each other, not in anger this time.
"You know I didn't mean to ruin your E2's paint on purpose?" Percy told Thomas, "you know that don't you?".
"Off course I do Percy" replied Thomas, "and I'm sorry I teased. Your saddle tanks green paint looks splendid again to".
"In future we'll both be more careful with coal" said Percy.
"That I can fully agree with you on" replied Thomas.
With that the two best friends made up with each other. Unbeknownst to them, Lady had witness the whole thing with a smile on her face.
(Story Ends)
"And ever since then" said Thomas as he finished his story, "both me and Uncle Percy have been careful around coal".
Lucy clapped her hands excitedly at her father's story. Even Percy had to admit that it was very good, Tanya then stood up as she handed Lucy to Thomas.
"Alright I think that we should be going home for dinner now?" she said.
"Dinner sounds great" agreed Thomas.
"Mind if I joined you for dinner?" asked Percy.
"Of course you can Percy" replied Howard with a smile.
With that the Billinton's and Percy then left the engine shed and headed straight for home, where Tanya prepared a nice and tasty dinner of kippers for them.
And done. I'm so sorry that it took so long, I promise that I'll try to avoid this in the future. Anyway please so kind as to leave a preview and as always, see you next time